Originally Posted by
tarwheel
I am a roadie and a commuter. Sometimes I ride slow, and sometimes I ride fast. My speed on a given ride depends on a number of factors, but rarely ever the speed of another cyclist unless it's someone I'm trying to ride with.
The thing about passing other riders if you have no idea whether the other rider is pushing it or on a recovery ride, or just winding down after a 60-mile ride, or has tired legs from riding 100 miles the day before or 250 miles the previous week. If it makes you feel good about passing a roadie, then go ahead and gloat, but the reason might have nothing to do with your relative fitness or speed.
Yep. The only reason I have ever "raced" another cyclist was early on, just to see if I could keep up. There were a couple of times that others have tried racing this "old fat poser in spandex". I would meet the challenge, or not, depending on my mood, and mode. When I did, they were often surprised.